GLOBALIZATION
James Madison, Jr.
Born March 16, 1751
Died June 28, 1836
Federalist/Democratic Republican
In office March 4, 1809 - March 4, 1817
Vice Presidents: (1) George Clinton (2) Elbridge Gerry
James Madison, Jr., was the fourth president of the great United States of America. Madison was not the most influential or controversial president of all time but he did what he had to do to make his young country that much better. He was not impeded by the lapses in Jefferson’s presidency; in fact, he was able to make the best of the situation and turn it in favor of the American people. Because Madison was able to keep his composure and fix Jefferson’s mistakes, he earned an A-. In his Inaugural Address, Madison’s main point is that he plans to maintain the greatness that America has earned since its founding. He admires the work of his predecessors and plans to add his own touch to the story of America. He brings up the point of other nations that encroach on American freedom (clearly referring to France and Britain) and how America must stand strong against them. He does a good job of maintaining the honor and prestige that has been attributed to the presidential administration but he does not uphold policies such as neutrality and the sparing use of the veto power. For this, he only partially accomplishes his goals. Although the majority of Congress supported Madison, his ideas in the beginning of his administration and during the War of 1812 were not easily passed through. Congress passed many bills simply to challenge Madison, forcing him to use his veto power seven times. Compared to Washington’s two and Adam’s and Jefferson’s zero, this is a dramatic increase. This conflict was due in part to the urgings of the ‘War Hawks’ (Henry Clay and John Calhoun). After France agreed to Macon’s Bill No. 2, Madison was won over by the Congress and asked for a war declaration on Britain. Afterwards, his relationship with Congress improved immensely until the end of his second term. After Jefferson’s failure with the Embargo Act, Madison developed his own strategy at resolving the conflict with France and Britain. He proposed, to both countries, that he would cut off trade to one if the other would agree to stop attacking the neutral American merchant ships. Napoleon finally agreed to the terms and Britain was officially cut off from American trade. As the conflicts continued, Madison was forced to declare war on Britain. And so began the War of 1812. But this war was not a bad thing. In the end, only 1 in 100 Americans that served in the war were killed and the American economy got a crucial jump start, making it a more influential force in the world market. Madison proved to be a great leader throughout his time in office. But he could not control every aspect of his administration and this was what kept him from getting full marks. His cabinet was inconsistent and unreliable. He went through 2 Secretaries of State, 4 Secretaries of War, 4 Secretaries of the Treasury, 3 Attorney Generals, and 3 Secretaries of the Navy. He lost two Secretaries of War during the War of 1812 simply because they couldn’t win battles. It was the Navy that kept the American cause alive. William Jones, the one dependable member of Madison’s cabinet, was regarded as the best Secretary of State the country had ever seen. Madison’s inability to find reliable people to support him was a great setback in his administration. This problem delegitimized the American administration in foreign affairs. As a result of the new alliance with France and the insistent British attacks on American ships, another war between Britain and America was imminent. Madison avoided it as long as he could but was not hesitant to defend his country. He asked Congress and they approved a declaration of war on Britain, beginning the War of 1812. Although suffering many losses on land, the naval attack kept the Americas fighting. Even after the White House and Capitol building were torched, the American people kept fighting and eventually came to a war-weary treaty with Britain. It may seem like a draw but it gave the American economy the boost it needed to start repaying the debt still hanging overhead from the Revolution. This gave future administrations momentum to build off of and to give America a new standing of prestige in the world. Although Madison couldn’t please everyone and had to make tough decision, he prevailed and bettered the nation. He took an unsavory situation and turned it into a positive for the nation. He did not allow himself to be rattled by imminent conflict or sketchy foreign relations. There are few men that are able to keep their cool and poise in a situation such as this and Madison was one of these men. He did what he could to help his nation grow and get better. He did not let the slant of a political party cloud his personal judgment. Although he couldn’t seem to find a cabinet that he could rely on, Madison was able to keep fighting on. For this, James Madison Jr. rightfully earned an A- for his administration.
Bibliography
DeGregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 4th ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 1993. Print.
James Madison, Jr.
Born March 16, 1751
Died June 28, 1836
Federalist/Democratic Republican
In office March 4, 1809 - March 4, 1817
Vice Presidents: (1) George Clinton (2) Elbridge Gerry
James Madison, Jr., was the fourth president of the great United States of America. Madison was not the most influential or controversial president of all time but he did what he had to do to make his young country that much better. He was not impeded by the lapses in Jefferson’s presidency; in fact, he was able to make the best of the situation and turn it in favor of the American people. Because Madison was able to keep his composure and fix Jefferson’s mistakes, he earned an A-.
In his Inaugural Address, Madison’s main point is that he plans to maintain the greatness that America has earned since its founding. He admires the work of his predecessors and plans to add his own touch to the story of America. He brings up the point of other nations that encroach on American freedom (clearly referring to France and Britain) and how America must stand strong against them. He does a good job of maintaining the honor and prestige that has been attributed to the presidential administration but he does not uphold policies such as neutrality and the sparing use of the veto power. For this, he only partially accomplishes his goals.
Although the majority of Congress supported Madison, his ideas in the beginning of his administration and during the War of 1812 were not easily passed through. Congress passed many bills simply to challenge Madison, forcing him to use his veto power seven times. Compared to Washington’s two and Adam’s and Jefferson’s zero, this is a dramatic increase. This conflict was due in part to the urgings of the ‘War Hawks’ (Henry Clay and John Calhoun). After France agreed to Macon’s Bill No. 2, Madison was won over by the Congress and asked for a war declaration on Britain. Afterwards, his relationship with Congress improved immensely until the end of his second term.
After Jefferson’s failure with the Embargo Act, Madison developed his own strategy at resolving the conflict with France and Britain. He proposed, to both countries, that he would cut off trade to one if the other would agree to stop attacking the neutral American merchant ships. Napoleon finally agreed to the terms and Britain was officially cut off from American trade. As the conflicts continued, Madison was forced to declare war on Britain. And so began the War of 1812. But this war was not a bad thing. In the end, only 1 in 100 Americans that served in the war were killed and the American economy got a crucial jump start, making it a more influential force in the world market.
Madison proved to be a great leader throughout his time in office. But he could not control every aspect of his administration and this was what kept him from getting full marks. His cabinet was inconsistent and unreliable. He went through 2 Secretaries of State, 4 Secretaries of War, 4 Secretaries of the Treasury, 3 Attorney Generals, and 3 Secretaries of the Navy. He lost two Secretaries of War during the War of 1812 simply because they couldn’t win battles. It was the Navy that kept the American cause alive. William Jones, the one dependable member of Madison’s cabinet, was regarded as the best Secretary of State the country had ever seen. Madison’s inability to find reliable people to support him was a great setback in his administration. This problem delegitimized the American administration in foreign affairs.
As a result of the new alliance with France and the insistent British attacks on American ships, another war between Britain and America was imminent. Madison avoided it as long as he could but was not hesitant to defend his country. He asked Congress and they approved a declaration of war on Britain, beginning the War of 1812. Although suffering many losses on land, the naval attack kept the Americas fighting. Even after the White House and Capitol building were torched, the American people kept fighting and eventually came to a war-weary treaty with Britain. It may seem like a draw but it gave the American economy the boost it needed to start repaying the debt still hanging overhead from the Revolution. This gave future administrations momentum to build off of and to give America a new standing of prestige in the world.
Although Madison couldn’t please everyone and had to make tough decision, he prevailed and bettered the nation. He took an unsavory situation and turned it into a positive for the nation. He did not allow himself to be rattled by imminent conflict or sketchy foreign relations. There are few men that are able to keep their cool and poise in a situation such as this and Madison was one of these men. He did what he could to help his nation grow and get better. He did not let the slant of a political party cloud his personal judgment. Although he couldn’t seem to find a cabinet that he could rely on, Madison was able to keep fighting on. For this, James Madison Jr. rightfully earned an A- for his administration.
Bibliography
DeGregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 4th ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 1993. Print.
"James Madison." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison.
"Why did James Madison face difficulties with a Congress domina...: Information from Answers.com." Answers.com. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/why-did-james-madison-face-difficulties-with-a-congress-dominated-by-his-own-party.